Rod Thorn was the man at the helm in 1984 when the Chicago Bulls selected Michael Jordan third overall in the draft.
That draft class was simply epic. Aside from Jordan, three other future Hall of Famers also populated that class, including Hakeem Olajuown, Charles Barkley and John Stockton.
According to Thorn though, the Bulls would have taken Sam Perkins — and not Charles Barkley whom the Phoenix Suns selected fifth overall — if Michael Jordan had not been available.
“I would’ve taken Sam Perkins, because I thought Barkley wasn’t big enough,” Rod Thorn said on a recent interview on “The Sports Junkies” show on 106.7 The Fan. “I just said, ‘The guy is so small. There’s no way he can do in the NBA what he’s doing in the SEC.’”
Perkins, who was Jordan's teammate in North Carolina, was selected by the Dallas Mavericks at No. 4 — one spot after Jordan. The Mavs probably had the same thinking as the Bulls' former general manager, as they too passed on the great Barkley.
Thorn did admit that in hindsight, Barkley would have been a much better draft choice as opposed to Perkins.
“And that would have been a mistake,” Thorn added, “although Perkins was a very good player and had a long career, and was very good. But Barkley was certainly an all-time player. So, thank goodness it worked out the way it did.”
Thorn hit the nail on the head here. We simply cannot imagine Jordan with any other team but the Bulls. The Houston Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers also deserve a thank you for passing on Jordan and opting for Hakeem Olajuwon and Sam Bowie as the first and second picks, respectively.
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